Owyhee - A Model in Collaboration

Where the remote corners of Idaho, Oregon and Nevada come together lies one of the most spectacular unprotected high deserts remaining in the United States - a landscape that truly characterizes the American West. The Owyhee - Bruneau Canyonlands region is a special place.

Wilderness designation was recently given to 517,000 acres of Idaho's Owyhee Canyonlands and 316 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers.  EcoFlight is privileged to have participated in flights that inspired and helped citizens create this wilderness proposal . The Owyhee Initiative was crafted by local ranchers, county representatives, conservationists, outfitters, the Shoshone-Paiute Tribe and others to permanently protect this area and its way of life.

Scientists have called the Owyhee Canyonlands some of the most biologically rich and diverse landscapes in the country, ranging from river canyons over a thousand feet deep to vast expanses of sagebrush and grassland, to mountains of juniper forest. An enormous diversity of wildlife depends on the interconnections of this landscape, including the world's largest herd of California bighorn sheep.

EcoFlight recently overflew the Owyhees to celebrate the Wilderness victory and to draw attention to the importance of the  Owyhee Canyonlands of Oregon which are not included in the wilderness designation. Representing one of the last great expanses of undeveloped high desert in the West, the Owyhee Canyonlands of Oregon hold nearly 2 million acres of wilderness-quality landscapes.  The sagebrush steppe ecosystem supports a number of key species and the steep rhyolite canyons provide ample opportunity for quiet recreation pursuits like fishing, camping and birding.

The remoteness of the Oregon Owyhees does not shield the area from many threats. The Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA) is working in a collaborative process involving local stakeholders, activists, landowners and government agencies to resolve issues.  As Chris Hansen of ONDA stated after the recent overflight of the Owyhee's:  "By flying the landscape with a group of people from differing perspectives, EcoFlight helped build trusting relationships with the ongoing goal of protecting this awe-inspiring place".